Access Control for School Campuses

When it comes to campus security, nothing is more important than keeping the safety of students, faculty, and staff a top priority. Campuses face many potential emergency and crisis situations that have, unfortunately, outdated traditional safety measures.

According to the 2018 Federal Commission on School Safety Report, access control is listed as a key line of defense in securing the perimeter and internal classrooms of a school building. Throughout the report, the use of technology to improve security systems is considered to be a best practice for school building safety. The creation of a comprehensive school safety plan is critical to ensure that staff and students are as prepared as possible to respond if an incident should occur.

From classrooms to dorm rooms, Talkaphone offers access control systems, two-way emergency communication solutions, area lighting, and video surveillance equipment options for your school to ensure safety and to stay better connected. Many of our security solutions also align with the tiers listed in thePartner Alliance for Safer Schools Safety and Security Guidelines. We have outlined the following key areas to focus on for an effective campus security plan.

Entryways

Regulating entry to school buildings is a critical line of defense. Unwanted visitors such as non-custodial parents, disgruntled faculty, and active shooters have too often bypassed existing security measures. The difficulty of controlling building access to tardy, disciplined, and former students have also presented a challenge to school safety officials.Talkaphone’s card reader-enabled call boxes and two-way communication systems, add another level of security, protecting people throughout the campus. Having a video intercom and a card reader or keypad allows only authorized individuals to gain access to the building.

Sporting Event Areas

School stadiums, gymnasiums, and arenas pose a unique safety threat for large gatherings of athletes, students, teachers, faculty, and parents. There are opportunities for medical emergencies and physical assaults in these settings. Having physical security devices present helps deter mischievous activity, and installing Talkaphone’s emergency communication systems secure these environments and instill peace of mind to students and parents.

Dormitories

Dorm buildings also present many potentially dangerous situations. Often times there are many students in small areas of the building at any given time. It’s crucial to have reliable secured access to all entry points of the buildings that house students. There also needs to be a safe area for students to seek shelter during emergencies, and a system in place to alert others when there is a dangerous situation.

Talkaphone’s Area of Refuge (AOR) system provides students a secured space to communicate with rescue personnel during emergencies and enable elevator passengers to receive assistance during malfunctions and emergencies. Talkaphone’s cloud-based SaaS mass notification solution is reliable and scalable enough to send thousands of notifications to individual cell phones and audio broadcasts to classrooms, offices, buildings, and outdoor areas. Consistently providing audio paging and emergency communications to students/faculty during crisis situations is important in all areas of the campus, especially dormitories.

Parking

Ease of access and lack of proper lighting and surveillance make parking lots a common area for assailants to target. Regulated parking lot access with gate entry pedestals, call boxes, and card readers can help deter aggressors. It’s important to provide communication help points with highly visible towers and wall mounts with lighting optimized for video surveillance.